May 1707 (6)
= The Herald of Europe - May 1707 = Weather this month *Mild. Events Of Importte Pertaining To Recent Matters Kumasi *Abornoma, the wife of the Chief of the Banna tribe has given birth to a baby girl. Both mother and child are believed to be in good health, just as the High Priest had prophesied they would be! Berlin *Before leaving Berlin the King in Prussia announced the opening of the Royal Artillery Academy in the cityn. Copenhagen *The King of Denmark's Foreign Minister Adels Aarbog has stated on behalf of His Majesty that Denmark has no interest whatsoever in selling off her colonial possessions. “The Crown of Denmark may however consider leasing one of her colonies for a substantial sum on an annually renewable rolling contract. For example Serampore would be leased for year in return for an annual payment of £200,000. Denmark would reserve the right to take back the colony fully upon non-payment or by giving a year's notice to the leaseholder.” Reichsvizekanzler Friedrich Karl Graf von Schönborn seemed quite exercised on hearing this, and ushered Aarbig into a side room for a chat. Hanover *Having appeared at the Hanoverian court, Elizabeth Christine von Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was taken away to speak to Prince George of Hanover in private. Moscow *As a gesture of the respect and friendship between the two monarchies of Persia and Russia, Tsar Piotr has ordered the building of a covered market in Moscow specifically for the trading of Persian goods. Cologne *The Prince-Archbishop of Liege-Cologne has issued 'heartfelt thanks to the Elector of Brandenburg' and agreed that he is welcome to send a battalion of his famous infantry to Cologne to allay any fears that the French may interfere in the Holy Roman Empire. “But I also hope the King of France will do likewise, thus ensuring France knows Prussia will not be attempting a takeover, and Prussia will know France shall not either without causing a war against the other party! I should add that I have paid a sum to the King of France and am already in a contract with him which I cannot without honour now back out of, any more than King Louis can without losing face.” Whydah *The King of Akwamu has sent some of his warriors to Alvar Ruiz de Mansilla, inviting him to his palace to discuss the Twin-Kingdoms offer of military assistance against any invader, and to arrange terms for the sale of slaves. Mansilla immediately went with them, and offered the King the sum of £50,000 ‘to establish a trade monopoly for the Asiento on slaves’. He also promised future investments would be made in this region ‘to purchase all the slaves your tribe can provide!’ Emden *The men of the Asante trade office in Emden have taken to walking the streets to familiarise themselves with the ways of the Europeans. One of these, Bannimere, who stands fully 6’4” and is of an athletic build has been attracting the attention of the townsfolk with his exercise routines of running, jumping, and pull ups using the branches of trees, as well as his lifting of heavy stones. It is no more than the merest of rumours at present but it has been said that there have been the occasional visitor to the trading mission at night. What is more sure is that in the evening the sounds of singing, music and probably African dancing has been heard regularly in the mission after it closes for the night, confirming church men in their opinion that this is a den of savage iniquity! Stockholm *Both Drottningholm Palace and the Royal Palace were decorated appropriately for the royal visit from Prussia. Festivities started around the Royal Place in central Stockholm when the five corvettes of the High Seas Fleet met the arriving guests. They gave a ‘double salute’ (four gun shots fired using two cannon on one ship, and then two from another) to greet the guests. The King and Queen of Prussia arrived at the Swedish royal court accompanied by the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Count von Wartenburg. They were especially warm toward King Charles of Sweden upon making his acquaintance. King Frederick told him, “I wish to express Prussia’s commitment to close relations with Sweden, nay let us be frank and call it an alliance of two formidable nations!” On the first evening a grand banquet for the guests and entire court was held at the Royal Palace, which is situated in splendid isolation on what is aptly known as Palace Island. The King and Queen of Prussia presented King Charles with pottery from Germany, while engraved glassware was presented to his sister Princess Ulrika Eleanora. The morning after there was a ceremony for the Crown Prince of Prussia and his consort Princess Sophia of Hanover to celebrate their wedding last autumn. At the docks adjoining the Royal Palace His Majesty Charles XII presented the Silver Eagle (a royal yacht) to them and explained that this is not only a late wedding gift but also a token of the long-standing friendly relations between Sweden and Prussia that this formal meeting is a manifestation of. The German-speaking crew were dressed in ceremonial Prussian naval uniforms and greeted the royal guests with military honour, piping them aboard. After that, the members of the immediate royal families travelled on the Silver Eagle to Drottningholm Palace (about one hour journey by boat), escorted by the High Seas Fleet. The households and other important participants of the meeting follow along in other boats. It was while on board the royal yacht that King Charles XII gave Princess Louise the book Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (Discourses on the Plurality of Worlds, 1686), by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle. Her Highness took it and thanked His Majesty, but it has to be said without any great joy. The royals are known to have held private meetings at Drottningholm Palace, which is situated just outside the city by the lake of Mälaren, set in its own grounds. Before that the Prussian royalty and household were shown to spacious quarters which had been arranged for them. Each evening smaller banquets were held, while in the daytime hunting parties set out into the woods surrounding the palace. The new and beautiful garden around the palace was open for the guests to explore, and those who wanted to could take shorter boat trips into Lake Mälaren with its archipelago of small islands. If was made clear that if any of the noble Prussian guests have any special requirements, needs or wants, as much as possible would be done to fulfill these. There were some formal meetings between officials of the respective nations discussing matters of state, openly discussing the possibilities for trade treaties and mutual exchange of progress in the academic and scientific fields. While the formal visit only lasted four days, the Prussian Royal family and ‘especially the Crown Prince and his consort are free to stay at Drottningholm for as long as they want to.’ Meknes *Sultan Mulay Ismail of the Moors has appointed Chancellor Muhammed Ibn Quarish to take the prominent role in running the government of Morocco. {Morocco has a new player!} Phnom Penh *Ang Em has warned his monarch King Thommaracha III that the other Cambodian families - those who are believed to lean towards an alliance with Luang-Prabang, are plotting against His Majesty and intend to bring about his downfall! Constantinople *Count Tolstoy has enquired of the Kizlar Aga whether or not the Treaty of Constantinople is agreeable to the Porte? Regensburg *The Hofkanzler Johann Friedrich Freiherr von Seilern has explained to the Reichstag that the proposed combination of the City of Bremen and the Archbishopric of Bremen under a single vote in the Fürstenrat was partly a convenience to keep the numbers more or less stable, and partly derived from the understanding that Sweden’s case for control of the City since 1648 was based on an extension of the inherited rights of the Archbishopric over the City which had been unresolved at the time of the Treaty of Westphalia. Von Seilern then moved on to the important question of Saxony. “In the Kaiser’s opinion, based on what has been publicly reported - and important as the correct use of etiquette and diplomatic norms undoubtedly are, as they reflect upon the honour and majesty of the state and rul- er - the threat posed by Russia to the Electorate of Saxony cannot be justified by the unfortunate diplomatic slight which may have been unintended. Therefore, should Russian troops invade Saxon territory it would be Russia that was the aggressor and Saxony would be fully entitled to the collective security arrangements of the Reich. It would be for the Reichstag to decide whether a Reichskrieg would be justified in Saxony’s defence and how the Reichsarmee should be mustered. It would, of course, remain a decision for individual states within the Reich to decide how they would discharge their responsibilities under the Reichsarmee Ordnance of 1681, in other words with troops or monetary contributions. It is, of course, the Kaiser’s most earnest wish that such an eventuality should be avoided, but it remains true that the individual security of all members of the Reich against external threat is best served by a robust defence of the principles of mutual security that underpins the Public Peace.” “On the matter of Poland and the Holy League, the Union of the Saxon Electorate and the Polish Commonwealth is a purely personal one through the body of Kurfürstund- König Augustus der Starke. Poland is not part of the Reich. The Holy League is an alliance of mutual defence which was first proposed by His Holiness the Pope in 1700 and entered into during 1700 and 1701 by Austria, Venice and Russia. The Polish Commonwealth subsequently joined. It is only applicable against Ottoman aggression and was explicitly designed - the terms were drawn up by the Russian government - to preserve the peace with the Ottoman Empire established in 1699 by the Treaty of Carlowitz. Therefore, in the case before us it does not apply, though it would be highly regrettable if the Polish Commonwealth and Russia - both signatories to the Holy League and neither having formally withdrawn - should find themselves on opposite sides in this present dispute.” Konigsberg *Minister of the Interior, Count Heinrich von Katterhern has confirmed that the Asante trade mission and is staff in Emden are there as guests of the Prussian Kingdom, with full permission to engage in trading activities. “To those most critical of their presence, may I point out that it is precisely because there is no Asante trade in Prussia presently that they are there to promote such. As for the church authorities, they are invited to submit to His Majesty an official report should they evidently feel their influence and protection over the faithful of Emden is sufficiently lacking such that the faithful could be so easily coerced by supposedly evil doings, and he shall consider supporting suitable replacements to their offices in favour of people more able to lead the church’s activities. The Kingdom expects the same levels of respect and warmth to be extended to our guests as would be to representatives of any other kingdom.” Delhi *Vilad-ul-Nabi, the feast of the birth of the Prophet, has been celebrated in Delhi with a banquet held at the Red Fort and numerous almsgiving to the poor. The infantry and lancers commanded by Prince Haider and Nur Jahan paraded through the streets and passed by the Red Fort with metal accoutrements glistening in the sun. Their dress and composure was close to immaculate! *Great Moghul Muazzam Bahadur Shah of India has declared how a new hospital in Delhi shall be solely for military use only. Furthermore, any soldier so badly injured that the physicians can’t restore him to health will receive an annual pension of 30 rupees. Should a man be killed in the service of the Moghul Empire his wife or children will also receive a pension of 30 rupees a year. “The soldiers fighting for the Empire can rest peacefully knowing that the Empire will look after them so long as they look after the Empire,” he said. “Fight for the Empire and the Empire will protect your family whatever happens. So charge the enemy without fear in your hearts, fight hard and never give up.” “There is great glory in victory but some will always have to pay the ultimate price. Rest assured that they have reached a better place and their family will be taken care of, and they can proudly boast that they have a hero of the Empire in the family.” Dresden *A Russian gentleman, Captain Count-designate Piotr Mikhailov has arrived in Dresden and sent his card to the Georgenschloss Palace with a request to be permitted entry into the Saxon court? As he card was being presented in court Duke von Spandau expressed on behalf of His Majesty King Frederick of Prussia alarm at reports that a Russian army is advancing on Germany. He has suggested to the Saxon Court that His Majesty King Augustus should do his utmost to raise the forces of the Polish Commonwealth to deter this threat and impede its progress! Kassel *Count von Bernau, the Prussian Foreign Minister, having turned up in the city of Kassel has requested entry into the court of the Langraf of Hesse-Kassel? Vienna *The Kaiser and Kaiserin have spent a few days on a hunting and hawking trip to Schloss Laxenburg, ten miles away from Vienna, before returning to the Austrian capital following a happy time at the lodge. People being Much Admired by the Best in Société *Austria *Twin-Kingdoms *England *Asante Union *Prussia *Hanover *Persia *Ottoman Anatolia Shipping Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Movements *Admiral Tourville's French fleet of 15 ship of the line, two galleons, and three east indiamen have sailed into Cadiz Harbour. Lloyds Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Losses from Causes Unknowne or Knowne *None. Ambassadorial Appointments *Sent by Ottoman Anatolia to Siam, Constantine of Morea. *Sent by France to Siam, Henri Le Court. *Sent by England to the Iroqouis, Colonel William Johnson. Trade Missions Opened *None. Automatically parsed by LGDRParser v1.0 Category:Game 6